Open AccessAlternations of hemodynamic parameters during Chinese cupping therapy assessed by an embedded near-infrared spectroscopy monitor
Author(s) -
Chenyang Gao,
Meng Wang,
Lin He,
Yanni He,
Ting Li
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.10.000196
Subject(s) - cupping therapy , hemodynamics , medicine , hemoglobin , pathology , acupuncture , alternative medicine
Cupping therapy is a promising method to cure or reduce the symptoms of some diseases including muscle pain/tendency/fatigue. Although the applications of cupping therapy have a thousand-year history in traditional Chinese medicine, the therapeutic effect of cupping is still questionable due to a lack of scientific evidence and the absence of physiological observations. In our previous study, we utilized near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to assess the concentration change surrounding the cupping site and found a significant elevation in oxy-hemoglobin (HbO 2 ). To further investigate the therapeutic effect of dry cupping treatment, we embedded a NIRS sensor into a suction cup to monitor the hemodynamic changes including HbO 2 , deoxy-hemoglobin ([Hb]) and blood volume on the cupping site in this study. Both a prominent elevation in [Hb] and a significant drop in [HbO 2 ] in the tissue of the cupping site were observed during cupping. We also observed similar hemodynamic changes during post-cupping, which may demonstrate how cupping therapy works for treatment. This study showed that the embedding of NIRS sensor in a cupping system could offer a better understanding of the mechanism of cupping therapy.